Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduro review by Don José
Hey team, Don José here back with another review.
Today we have the
20th Anniversary Maduro
by Perdomo
If this is your first time here, my reviews rate each cigar on 10 factors and each factor gets a rating out of 10 giving me an overall out of 100. The 10 factors are: Construction, Draw, Burn, Flavour, 1/3 overall, 2/3 overall, 3/3 overall, Journey (how well it flows), Complexity & Value for money.
This is one tasty looking Maduro, and knowing Perdomo i'm expecting good things.
let’s take a look at how this stick is put together.
A couple of key things about this cigar are making me excited to smoke it;
a. the 8 year, minimum ageing process, In my experience tobacco aged over 7 years becomes complex and creamy.
b. This is said to be a full bodied cigar, the bold strength coupled with a complex yet creamy flavour profile is right up there with my favourite so without getting my hopes up too much, I am looking forward to this cigar a lot.
“The PERDOMO 20th Anniversary Maduro has decadent 8-year old Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Maduro wrappers that are bourbon barrel-aged for an additional 14 months to ensure the rich, sweet flavors pair perfectly with the higher-priming Cuban-seed Nicaraguan binder and filler blend that offers a balance of semi-sweet notes of chocolate and espresso on the finish.”
Brand: Perdomo
Size: Robusto
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua Habano
Binder: Cuban-seed Nicaragua
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaragua
This cigar has gotten some solid accolades too, including Cigar of the year in 2014 and a plethora of 90+ ratings
It is available in 6 sizes;
Robusto • 5 x 56
Epicure • 6 x 56
Gordo • 6 x 60
Torpedo • 6 ½ x 54
Corona Grande • 6 ½ x 48
Churchill • 7 x 56
With my sample today being a Robusto.
Ok, so now let's talk a little about the wrapper. Habano cigar wrapper is a leaf grown from a Cuban seed, hence the word “Habano” or “Havano,” referring to Cuba's capitol. Habano tobacco wrapper is darker in colour, has a much spicier flavour, a richer aroma, and has been grown in Nicaragua's Jalapa Valley and Estelí since the 1990's.
More important than the pronunciation are the reasons we like Habano cigar wrappers. Mainly we like the Habano wrapper’s flavour. It’s spicy, rich and the colour is generally dark. Chocolate is commonly tasted in Habano wrappers. And the Habano cigar wrapper is going on many of your favourite cigars.
Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia, the maker of My Father and other premium cigars, calls Ecuador Habano grown by the Oliva family “the best cigar wrapper in the entire world.” “It has all the characteristics such as a thick, rich and oily structure,” Garcia told Cigar Aficionado. “It’s also great tasting in flavour and the veins are hardly seen, which makes for a unique type of wrapper.”
While Nicaragua Habano is less common than Ecuador Habano, the varietal can be found on a handful of stronger cigars.
Ok, so let's get into the review.
Construction
Flawless constructions, lightly box-pressed with a nice, oily, dark wrapper. Fairly smooth with a few veins but no toothing. The wrapper is slightly cut back from the foot which gives it a very nice looking finished edge. Its quite dense to press and the rather large band moves freely.
Burn & Draw Again, absolutely perfect. Plenty of smoke, great looking ash, consistent burn-line and no re-lites.
Flavour & Complexity As expected, great complexity and flavours. Coffee and cocao are the most notable and are present throughout the smoke, this is common on Habano but emphasised by the ageing in my opinion. Its smooth yet powerful and has a nice mix of sweetness and spice.
Strength 82% - Bold and full yet easy smoking due to the ageing.
Enjoyment / Journey It doesn't really get much better than this. A perfectly constructed cigar, offering an outstanding burn that is strong and flavourful. Only points lost here were due to the fairly consistent profile throughout, rather than a feel of progression.
Overall
A look at the numbers.
Construction -- 10/10
Burn -- 10/10
Draw -- 10/10
Flavour -- 10/10
Complexity -- 9/10
First 1/3 -- 9/10
Second 1/3 -- 9/10
Third 1/3 -- 9/10
Journey -- 9/10
Value -- 8/10
I rate this cigar 93 points.
